


Love...Hate...Such a Fine Line

by divineshewolf



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adult Harry Potter, Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Angst and Romance, Black Family Madness (Harry Potter), Blood and Violence, British Slang, Canon Divergence - Post-Battle of Hogwarts, Curses, Dark Magic, Discrimination of Mud-Bloods/Half-Bloods (by non-major characters), Drama & Romance, Emotional Manipulation, Eventual Romance, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Heavy Angst, Hogwarts Era, Magic-Users, Magical Accidents, Major Original Character(s), Memory Loss, Mild Language, Minor Original Character(s), Minor Violence, Monsters, Multi, Multiple Relationships, Non-Explicit Sex, Original Character(s), POV Alternating, Post-Battle of Hogwarts, Teen Angst, Teenage Drama, Witches, Wizards
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:14:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23975080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/divineshewolf/pseuds/divineshewolf
Summary: Love, betrayal, jealousy, and drama take root at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry after the second wizarding war surrounding Zaria Black, Sirius Black's illegitimate daughter who was born a year after his untimely death. Now, she is in her sixth year and wanders into a love triangle with her boyfriend, Lucian Vexx, and newcomer, Cade Wolfe. While she tries to maintain her outstanding grades and follow her heart, monsters and darkness threaten to destroy the school and her friends, but it's up to her to decide whether to use her powers for good or evil.
Relationships: Original Female Character/Original Female Character, Original Female Character/Original Male Character, Original Male Character/Original Male Character
Kudos: 1





	1. Welcome to Hogwarts

**Author's Note:**

> The characters in this story are at Hogwarts during the year 2013 and the majority of them are completely original (non-canon). This story is an alternate universe and would have happened between the second war and the new generation, and of course, Sirius didn't have a kid but I thought it would be really cool if he did. Also, I know I put him as a character, but he doesn't come back to life (just as an FYI). I never read the HP books (except for Cursed Child), so all my canon information is from the movies and the HP wiki and lexicon. I do not own the HP series and their canon characters, nor am I associated with them, this is all fan work and is done for nothing but entertainment purposes.

Cade Wolfe sighed, taking slow and heavy breaths after making it up to the seventh floor of his new school, before continuing to walk down the candlelit, stone hallway. The numerous flights of stairs he had to climb had not left him winded, but the changing staircases and occasionally hidden ones were surprising and complicated to accomplish. Hogwarts would certainly take some getting used to but Cade always enjoyed a challenge, though he was particularly hesitant about starting at a new wizarding school this year, fear had a way of piquing his curiosity, giving him the courage to take problems head-on.

"Only a bit further, Mr. Wolfe." The thin brown-haired man walking in front of him, who previously introduced himself as Professor Neville Longbottom, called out.

The dim path made it difficult for Cade to see, but his guide could navigate the halls (and even the stairs) perfectly. Cade hoped he would not get too lost tomorrow without a teacher or had at least made a friend by then to show and teach him how to get around the castle. The sound of their footsteps reverberated off the walls as they walked to the end of the long hallway where a large, golden statue of a griffin sat in a wide archway. Longbottom stopped in front of it, motioning his hand at Cade to move in front of him. Cade, confused with his eyebrows furrowed, moved beside the statue.

"Just go up the spiral staircase and the headmaster will be waiting for you inside the double doors," Longbottom said.

Cade opened his mouth slightly to ask where the staircase was but then Neville raised his hands towards the statue. "Pumpkin fizz!" He exclaimed, flashing his hands open at the griffin, and simultaneously, the solid figure began to turn and raise off the ground, exposing a stone spiral staircase connected to it. Cade quickly jumped onto the second step and stood still as the staircase twisted to the top, the griffin's wings circling him while it cast its shadow over him.

The concrete staircase came to a halt at the peak of the tower with the griffin facing a set of tall, oaken double doors. Cade stepped out from between its wings and stepped off the stairs to stand directly in front of the doors. He instinctively turned the doorknob and entered the office, flitting his ocean blue eyes around the circular room to find the man who was supposedly waiting for him. He noticed the numerous moving pictures on the walls, some of whom were asleep while others moved about their frames and a vast number of books on the shelves around the entire room with a few stacked on the small table in front of a fireplace to the left. Cade proceeds deeper into the room as the doors slam close behind him.

"Ah, Mr. Wolfe! You've finally arrived." A deep, modulated voice emerged from the back of the room near the two ascending staircases and between them was a large wooden desk where a man sat behind it, a huge iguana on a perch right beside him as he made a quick signature on a piece of paper with a black quill. Cade marched up the concrete steps as the man adjusted his round-shaped, brown eyeglasses on his face and stood up from his chair. He smiled at Cade before he sauntered around the desk, taking Cade's hand in an excited and firm handshake. "What a pleasure to meet you, Cade. I am Professor Cornelius Mallor. Welcome to Hogwarts."

Cade flashed him a lighthearted grin, baring through Mallor's strong grip on his hand until the headmaster let go of him. Mallor appeared surprisingly young to be a headmaster, but his thick, dusty blonde beard around his mouth and his towering height made him look older, as well as his proper blue striped button-up shirt and dark blue vest and tie but his wardrobe did nothing to hide his broad shoulders and toned figure. If he were well past his thirties or forties, it would be hard to believe.

Mallor delicately waved his hand beside Cade and a small wooden chair suddenly solidified from thin air. "Please have a seat," he insisted, motioning his hand towards the chair, watching Cade as he sat down before resting his butt on the edge of the desk. "Tell me, Cade, what house were you placed in at Ilvermorny?" Mallor folded his arms in front of his chest, looking down at Cade, entirely captivated in his new student.

"I was in Pukwudgie house, sir," Cade revealed, his soothing American accent causing Mallor to smile.

"Yes, I did see that in your papers. Well, we administer the same sorting, but here at Hogwarts the houses include Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin and the sorting hat will decide which house you will join. Ready?"

"Um…yes, sir."

Mallor turned and grabbed his wand from the middle of the desk then quickly flicked it at the brown, worn-out hat on a high shelf across the room and the hat began to float in midair, hovering itself towards Mallor until it was in his hands. Cade thought the hat looked particularly tacky but grew curious as to how it would place him in a house. Mallor paused for a moment, the top of the hat clutched in his left hand as he looked to the floor then shifted his gaze back to Cade. He carefully placed the hat on top of Cade's thick, light brown locks then took a slight step back.

"Ah! Remarkably interesting, this one!" A low, raspy voice chimed from above Cade, giving him a fright until he realized it was coming from the hat, feeling it make the tiniest movements on his scalp as it spoke. "Hmm…independent, courageous, and kind, and yet -"

The hat paused and Mallor's eyes seemed to widen, his attention peaked at the hat's indecisiveness.

"So much pain, anger…" Mallor's silence remained along with his stern expression and Cade could not tell if Mallor was worried or perhaps, just overly concerned about what house he would be sorted into. Cade suspected that there must be a house that didn't have an overall positive reputation, but if he was sorted into that one, he'd just have to work harder at proving to himself and everyone else that he was better than his own status. "…but clearly strong enough. Better be…Gryffindor!"

Cade could visibly see Mallor's shoulders relax with the hat's selection, and Cade felt a breeze of relief at his reaction.

"Wonderful!" Mallor snatched the hat from Cade's head and placed it on his desk and the hat's molded face slowly faded away, returning to its normal appearance as a regular witch's hat. Mallor rushed behind his desk, scooping up some folded fabrics in his large hands before bringing them around and shoving them onto Cade's lap. "I took the liberty of getting your uniforms; your jumpers, robes, and such. You can change and then I will escort to the Great Hall where you can eat dinner with your classmates."

Mallor adjusted his tie and smoothed his hair back with his palm, grabbing the sorting hat from his desk before he exits the office with haste. Cade looked down at the clothing in his hands, staring at the red sweater with yellow stripes in the waist and neck, and the thickly striped tie with the same colors. His nerves were attempting to get the best of him, creating knots in his stomach that turned at the thought of being the new kid, not fully convinced that he would be accepted into this school – the best wizarding school in the world, or so he heard it was. But where there was fear, courage could easily take its place. Cade stood up and began changing into the black trousers, white button-up shirt, sweater, and tie, leaving the clothes he came in folded on the chair.

He then turned on heels and hurried out of the room, closing the door behind him. He went down the stone steps where Mallor was waiting for him, idly scratching his beard and staring off into the distance until he noticed Cade at the archway.

"Ah, there you are. Now," Mallor strides forward and Cade immediately follows behind. "I looked at your exam scores from the last term and what classes you were interested in taking this term. Hopefully, you'll be pleased with the classes I selected for you." Mallor takes a piece of parchment from his front pocket and handed it to Cade as they walked down the staircases, which was an easier task than coming up.

Cade quickly unfolded the paper and reads through his timetable:

CLASS | DAY | PERIOD | LOCATION

**_DADA (NEWT)_ | ** _Monday, Wednesday |_ _First |_ _Class 104/3C_

**_Charms (NEWT)_ | ** _Monday,_ _Wednesday, Friday |_ _Second |_ _Class 99/2E_

_**History of Magic |**_ _Tuesday, Thursday |_ _Second/Third |_ _Class 72/4F_

_**Herbology |**_ _Tuesday |_ _Fifth |_ _Greenhouses_

_**Astronomy |**_ _Wednesday |_ _Midnight |_ _Highest tower_

_**Potions (NEWT) |**_ _Thursday, Friday |_ _Fifth/Sixth |_ _Dungeons_

"At Ilvermorny, you expressed interest in Defense Against the Dark Arts and Charms, and with exceeds expectations in your exams, I placed you in the N.E.W.T. classes for this term. Since History of Magic, Herbology, and Astronomy were not part of your former curriculum, you will take those classes and sit for O.W.L.s, determining if you'll able to be ready for the advanced class next year.

"As for Potions, I wasn't sure if you should be a N.E.W.T student with acceptable, but Professor Slughorn suggested I may as well give you a chance if you were interested," Mallor explained, pausing as they reached the ground floor in the entrance hall, standing at the bottom of the marble staircase. "If you are not, we can gladly fill your time with another class, for instance, Alchemy or Magical Theory."

Cade considered the option of taking Potions, though he was awful at the subject, it appeared to be the best choice and most likely to come in handy. "I'll stick with Potions," Cade said.

"Excellent. Should you find yourself struggling, I suggest making a friend in the class to help you or you can come to see me and we'll find something else for you."

A set of doors to an antechamber tore open behind them, turning Cade's head to see a man with dark brown, curly hair sprinting towards them. He stopped in place beside them, grinning politely at Cade before guiding his attention to Mallor. The man appeared to be a professor, one shorter than Mallor, with his white button-up shirt and long, grey robe, but he had a younger face than the headmaster; his jaw and above his lip lined in thin, light brown hairs but his eyebrows thicker, shadowing his blue eyes.

"The first years are ready, Headmaster." The man stated, his gravelly, Scottish accent hitting Cade's ear differently than the English accents he had been hearing.

"Thank you, Professor Digby," Mallor remarked, handing the sorting hat off to him then casually shoving his hands in his pockets. "Are the head boy, head girl, and prefects ready and counted for?"

Professor Digby's stomach sank, his mouth opening to say something before he snapped his lips back together in a fine line, his eyes flitting from Mallor's face to floor as he left a lingering silence between the three of them. "Err – yes. Well…except one." Digby replied nervously.

"Who?" Mallor asked, betraying his good-natured demeanor for an irritated scowl that made even Cade worried for the timid professor. Digby's mouth twisted as though he had just bitten into the tartest lemon until he sighed and moved his face a fair bit closer to Mallor's ear.

"It's…Lucian Vexx…" whispered Digby.

The name did not shock Mallor, in fact, he exhaled such a heavy sigh as his hazel eyes filled with disappointment.

"Of course. Very well then –" Mallor said impatiently, "Digby proceed with the sorting ceremony right away. Cade follow me."

As Digby rushed back the way he came, Mallor turned and walked to the opposite side of the hall, in the direction of the Great Hall. A few short seconds after Cade realized Mallor was leaving, he followed behind him and caught up promptly. They entered the large, elegant room that had tall walls leading up to the enchanted ceiling that mirrored the night sky, thousands of lit candles hovering high above everyone's heads, and five long, wooden tables; the echo of idle chatter and laughter singing in the air. Students crowded and sat around the four tables across the floor while professors took their seats at the high table towards the back of the room by the stained-glass windows.

Mallor made his way to the last table on the right side of the room, scanning his eyes around the table for someone specific until he spotted them, waving them down to join him and Cade at the foot of the table. A skinny, heart-shaped faced boy with wavy brown hair popped up near the far end of the table from the sea of bodies, slipped his lanky legs out from the bench, and slipping down the aisle eagerly until he stood before Mallor.

"Ah, Mr. Hall!" Mallor cheerfully greeted the boy, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder as he spun him to face Cade. "This is Cade Wolfe, the newest member of your house."

"Pleasure." The boy replied, holding out his hand to Cade, who shook it firmly and grinned politely as the boy did.

"Now, I need you to be Mr. Wolfe's guide for the week – show him around and explain the routine, as to see he doesn't get off to a knobbly start," Mallor instructed and patted the young man's shoulder before dropping his hand back into his pocket. "Cade, there is a matter that needs my attention, but you are in good hands. Now go on take your seats boys, the sorting is about to begin."

With a strict nod toward the table, Mallor turned on his heels and left the Great Hall, the large golden doors closing gradually on his trail after his exit.

"Name's Elias, by the way, but everyone just calls me Eli." The boy mentioned, nudging Cade's arm and capturing his attention, showing that he was returning to the table.

While Elias went down the aisle again, Cade went to the parallel side and walked down the line of students until there was a vacant spot, swinging his legs inside the bench and taking a seat beside a fifth-year girl talking intensely with the two girls across from her. Elias barreled to a small spot across from him, wrinkling his nose at someone near the top of the table and sticking his tongue out at them like a petulant child, but then smiled kindly before turning his gaze to Cade.

"So, Ilvermony, huh?" Elias propped his head on his hand, his almond-shaped hazel eyes unwavering and staring at Cade, leaving him feeling scrutinized, like he was laying under yet another person's microscope, but the last thing he'd want is to be rude to the person that was going to help him around the castle's maze. Cade nodded guardedly, questioning whether everyone at the school knew things about him already. "That's a long way from here…though I assume you didn't have a choice in the matter."

It was true. Cade's father had divulged the news that they were moving to London two days before the movers arrived, explaining that his job insisted that they relocate him from the Magical Congress to the Ministry for Magic because they were in desperate need of more Aurors.

"Not particularly, but the change is for the best." Cade shrugged, glancing at the entrance to the Great Hall as the doors opened again.

The idle conversations and voices began to fade out and the room grew still, quiet enough to hear a pin drop as Professor Rigby marched in with a group of first years marching behind him in amazement and sheer wonder. The entire room watched while they walked in the middle of the four tables until they reached the front of the room. Digby stepped up on the platform in front of the high table, standing by a stool with a roster and the sorting hat in his hands.

"Wait along here please!" ordered Digby, pointing at the floor to gather the students together, their shuffling feet squeaking on the hardwood floor until they froze in a tighter bundle closer to Digby. "Now, when I call your name, you will come forth…I shall place the sorting hat on your head, and you will be sorted into your houses."

Digby held up the hat in one hand while folding out the parchment in the other, clearing his throat as he viewed the first name.

"Marc Amberley!"

A blonde boy with puffy cheeks moved and stepped up, taking his seat on the stool. Digby raised the hat over his head and set it down, and the enchanted hat came to life and wiggled in an instant.

"Hmm…right then…right…Gryffindor!" echoed a harsh, raspy voice.

The students at Cade's table began to stand and clap, cheering as Marc skipped down and joined the group sitting at the end of the table. Cade rolled his eyes at himself for being the only one not to stand, but he had forgotten what his house's name was called and though no one seemed to notice, he was still shrouded with awkwardness.

"Adam Crow!"

Another boy went to the stool, this time with red hair, freckles, and round glasses that were slightly too big for his face, and Digby swiftly rested the hat on his head after the boy sat down.

The hat grumbled as it stirred. "Oh, I know…Hufflepuff!"

The students from the table beside Gryffindor's were the ones to celebrate and applaud this time, greeting their new house member with elation. Just after two more names are called, Tade Dukes (Slytherin) and Piper Graves (Hufflepuff), Cade's attention, as well as a few others, are abruptly hooked by the doors opening once again. In strolls a slim young man, who appears as tall as Cade, alongside Mallor. Mallor's lips are moving, but his voice is only just above a whisper as he spoke directly into the boy's ear, to which he replies with a nod.

Mallor lifted his chin and walked away first, assertively swaying down the aisle, stepping up on the stage, and joining the professors at the high table, taking his seat in the middle of the row. The boy almost immediately joined the last table on the left side of the room, confirming that he was in Slytherin house, in accordance with the green stripes on his tie. His sharp, clenched jaw relaxed as he plastered a smile on his oval face when a couple of boys from table jeered him silently. He rolled his eyes, running his hand through his near-shaved, dark brown locks as he settled into his seat amongst them. Cade could notice how red his lips were, even with the distance, and wondered if it was from the boy's own chapstick or someone else's.

The ceremony ended when the last seven boys and nine girls were sorted with Professor Digby taking a seat next to Mallor, signaling for the cheerful conversations from earlier to resume and flow effortlessly around the room. The two professors spoke for a short moment until Digby gently tapped his knife on his glass to silence the room.

"Attention!" Digby called out.

Mallor stood to his feet, "Let the feast begin."

He reached both arms outward and opened his palms toward the tables. An entire buffet of food emerged out of nothing onto each table, covering every inch of the wooden surfaces from top to bottom. Cade's eyes widened at the platters of roast chicken and jacket potatoes in front of him, the thick rich gravy and vegetables alongside jam doughnuts and rice pudding smelled flavorful and sweet, the delicious aroma turning Cade's stomach from a pang of hunger he didn't realize existed up until now. Elias, licking his lips with excitement and rubbing his palms together, wasted no time filling his plate with fried sausages (after bugging the fourth year boy on his left to pass them) and mashed potatoes, covering them with gravy before double-fisting two pieces of roast chicken. For such a skinny kid, he could really chow down.

"You'll get used to castle and- and making your way around after a few days-," Elias said, chewing his chicken through his words somehow. "But you should be absolutely chuffed that you got sorted into Gryffindor…hmm, means you've got good character."

The silvery-toned compliment fell softly on Cade's heart and he was flattered by the kind words, though he was unsure if he genuinely believed that he had good character. Condescending, maybe…impulsive, yes…but good? It had never been a word that Cade used to describe himself, but if that is what it meant to be part of Gryffindor house, perhaps he was a good person…yet convincing himself of that would not be simple. The corners of Cade's mouth turned up as he dished fried tomatoes and turkey onto his plate, flashing the thin dimples in his cheeks and high cheekbones, chuckling as Elias hummed in adoration of the tasty food.

"Well, if that's true, then I look forward to being on the good team." Cade held up his cup with a nod and took a sip of pumpkin juice, continuing to enjoy his dinner and stuffing a piece of turkey on his fork into his mouth.

"Mmm, so tell me about Ilvermony…well really North America. Heard the muggles there have the strangest fancies, and…"

For the second time tonight, the doors to the Great Hall creaked open, grabbing Cade's peripheral gaze, and through came a young girl with a spicy strut and lengthy, black hair. Cade stopped chewing his food all at once, as the sound of Elias's voice and the uproar of the student body diminished to a muzzle, locking his eyes on, who he would describe as, the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen in his life.


	2. The Girl Can't Help It

The roar of muffled clapping and excited cheering made its way down into the stone walls of the dungeons. The halls leading to the Slytherin dormitories were empty, the echoes from noise above slowly fading out before it reached the seventh year boys’ dorm, where the only two people not in the Great Hall laid — a teenage boy from Slytherin house and a teenage girl from Ravenclaw house, kissing each other with every last breath they had, lying together in his small bed. He was a towering, strapping young man with short, wavy black hair who had handsome features and porcelain skin. His loosely fitted silk, olive button-up shirt hung open slightly and his black jeans were skinny and clean. Lucian Vexx’s charming appearance was one of the reasons most girls at school would jump at the opportunity to be in her position.

But Zaria Black was the only one allowed to taste Lucian’s soft lips, inhaling his woody cologne as he laid on top of her, between her legs wrapped around his waist, caressing her denim-covered thigh in his muscular hand. Her long, sleek, black hair splayed across the pillow with her hands rubbing up against his neck into his thick locks, the front of it brushing her forehead as the kissing intensified. She looked into his chestnut brown eyes then tilted her head to the left, bumping their noses before their lips reconnected again, harder, and destitute. As though this time alone together, to run their hands over each other and have their mouths connected, did not come fast enough.

The train and the carriage ride never offered a moment of privacy for the young lovers, so the minute they entered into the castle, they decided to use the time before dinner to make up for the one month where they’d been apart and continue where they left off at the beginning of summer, and it had been exactly this – nonstop kissing and cuddling and laughing, divulging in the official status of their relationship. Lucian immediately asked his roommates to give them the room and took Zaria’s hand, leading her into the dungeons before anyone noticed that they’d gone because they couldn’t wait to be as close as possible, his desire for her lips being the only thing on his mind.

He enjoyed how her full lips tasted of cherries, so soft and moist, sweet from her chapstick and her tiny, slender body being an exceptional fit with his. Lucian lifted his head, gazing at her light brown, big doe eyes and soft cheeks, until her cheekbones rose high and her dimples appeared, taking Lucian’s breath away. And Zaria giggled, twisting their bodies to get herself on top of him, straddling his waist and her arm holding her up as she swept his hair from his face, admiring him as his grip steadied beneath her bottom.

The green silk hangings around the bed posters gave the room a darker appearance and the silence turned the room calm, leaving them able to only focus on each other, ignoring all the commotion going on upstairs. Zaria swept strands of her hair behind her ear then leaned down and kissed Lucian, receiving a lusting squeeze on her butt from him, smiling against his lips as he tilted his face up to meet her mouth.

They remained like that until he made a play and flipped them back over. Caressing her hips as he kissed her deeper, their heads turning from left to right with each kiss and her fingertips roaming his jaw, feeling his smooth skin on her palms. His lips tenderly capturing her, sending tingles to her toes, and her heart raced with the slight pressure of his chest on hers and his hips pushing into her groin.

No one kissed like Lucian and Zaria was no stranger to what made a good kisser. Lucian was by far the best and he knew it.

“I missed you, love…” she whispered, immediately resuming their soft kiss.

Lucian grinned, “I missed you, too.” He replied, crashing his lips onto hers, kindly putting some of his tongue between his lips as he moaned under his breath.

Lucian’s adrenaline accelerated in the past few minutes, the ring on her index finger grazing against his throat and the way her body pressed to his and her rose-scented perfume setting his body and nerves on fire. He didn’t want to push Zaria into doing something she wasn’t ready for, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t constantly on his mind, plus kissing and making out regularly was not helping (not that he was complaining). Even a month of not having her in his arms came as a punishment, and it brought Zaria great pain, too. This is where they wanted to be; in this bed, bound together by the heated intimacy of their mouths and feverous stir of their bodies.

His hand ran down to the waistband of her jeans, tucking the tips his fingers under the hem of her thin, orange tank top, when the doorknob _clicked,_ and the door flung open. Lucian jumped, breaking his lips from Zaria’s, and taking his hand from under her shirt as their heads faced the door to see who entered the room, hoping it was not a teacher as they held their breaths. Luckily for them, it was Dante Ripper, Lucian’s best friend, and one of his roommates. Lucian and Zaria sighed simultaneously, their nerves settling by the familiar golden-brown haired boy in the doorframe, but on the other hand, they were not pleased that their bonding came to a grinding halt.

“Apologies lovebirds, but Mallor is looking for you, mate,” said Dante, his husky voice sincerely apologetic, knowing exactly how hard it is to catch even the smallest window of privacy inside of Hogwarts.

“Bloody hell, has the ceremony started already?” Lucian asked, and Dante nodded.

“He sent me to get you,” Dante ran his fingers through his short hair, “and I’d hurry your arse if I were you.”

“Yes, yes – go boil your head…and keep an eye out. Make sure he doesn’t come down here,” requested Lucian, and Dante swiftly exited the room, closing the door before rushing back down the hall. Lucian looked back to Zaria. She wistfully rubbed her finger gently over his bottom lip, solemn about their private time ending. “To be continued…”

Lucian kissed the pad of her finger and hastily moved off her, standing to his feet to change into his uniform. Zaria sat up on her elbows, watching Lucian strip off his shirt, admiring his exposed chiseled abs and muscular arms, dancing her light brown eyes over his physique and small hairs on his chest.

“Have you thought about it anymore, Z?”

Her eyes flickered to his as though she was ripped from a trance. Her dark, thin eyebrows raised in question after not fully concentrating on what her boyfriend was talking about. He finished putting on his black trousers and grey jumper, then moved a few steps closer to the bed, sitting carefully on the edge.

“Are you hearing me?” Lucian snorted, smiling at her as if he had been bewitched by her beauty, and he did not doubt it to be true.

“Sorry, you distracted me.” She admitted, her dimpled grin as she sat up, grabbing his hand with both of hers and brought it to her lips, granting his skin a soft kiss. “You have no idea how excited I am for this term. It’s going to be…extraordinary.”

Lucian chuckled in sync with Zaria giggling, placing his hands on both sides of her neck.

“Well, I am looking forward to this extraordinary term with you.” He leaned in and covered her mouth with his in a hungry kiss – savoring her warm, sweet mouth for the last time this evening. She did not want it to be over just yet, but before she could object, Lucian took his lips away and rubbed his thumbs on her skin in reflection, resting his forehead on hers.

“Now, what is it you were saying before?” Zaria whispered softly, taking in the surreal peace of being with Lucian, the way it felt like they were the only two people in the world. Lucian remained silent, not sure if he should mention it again and risk ruining their night with the topic that he wished he did not care about. “I’m all ears.”

He leaned his head up with his shoulders held back and smirked kindly, displaying a lighthearted attitude to keep her from questioning him further. The last thing he wanted was to pressure Zaria into anything...because she was the love of his life, even if they had never said the four-letter word to each other yet.

“It’s nothing to worry about, really. I better get going before Mallor comes to find me.”

Her soft nod came respectively as he dropped his hands to his thighs, standing and grabbing his robe from the single wooden chair in the corner beside his bed. He slipped on the pitch-black robe with green inner lining, a bold green, and silver badge pinned to the corner of his uniform with a large ‘P’ across it and a snake symbol for Slytherin, fidgeting with the placement of the pin calmly until it wasn’t poking him in the chest.

Zaria swiftly climbed off the bed as Lucian tussled with the front of his near-shaved, straight hair and stood behind him, assisting him with the back by running her dainty fingers through it. Without a mirror in the room, it came as a significant help to him. Lucian snatched his wand off the dresser nearby, shoving it in his waistband and turning to face her, his slim body towering over her petite stature.

“See you upstairs, darling…I hope they have rice pudding for afters,” he mentioned with a lopsided grin, crossing his fingers on both hands as he glides to the door.

Zaria giggled lovingly at his adorable excitement and wide eyes that became vaguely covered when his loose dark curls fell into his eyes, her heart thumping like a love-struck song. Lucian paused at the door frame, striking his palm against the stone wall to stop all further proceedings of his exit.

“Oi! Err – come upstairs a bit late though, yeah? Take your time, that way Mallor doesn’t become suspicious.”

“Clever…will do.” She agreed, and Lucian gives her a thumbs up and a wink before leaving the dormitory.

A creepy hiss emerges into Zaria’s eardrum just as the door closes behind him, drawing her attention to the bottom of the bed, wherein a snuffbox on top of Lucian’s wooden trunk rested a huge, clear enclosure with a dark blueish-black snake inside, revealing it’s pale yellow underbelly while raising its head and continually slithering out its tongue as if it was acknowledging Lucian’s leave, slickly hissing a farewell.

The Boelen’s python, which Lucian named Mali, was his most prized possession, and truthfully, it creeped Zaria out, but with his gift as a parselmouth, his choice of a pet was understandable. Though it was nonvenomous, the size of python increasing every year disturbed Zaria as it was now nearly eight feet long and stocky.

Luckily for her, most of the students in Ravenclaw obtained other kinds of pets. Zaria cringed, chills going down her spine until she looked away from its large head and focused on fetching her tiny, beaded pouch off the dresser. She placed it on the bed, stretching the opening wide enough to stick her arm through. She had placed an undetectable extension charm on it during the summer for when she and Lucian went galivanting around London and Surrey. Spearing her arm shoulder-deep inside the bag, she plucked out the pieces of her uniform and her wand one by one, laying them on the bed.

Her knitted dark blue V-neck jumper with light blue stripes over her white dress shirt and the blue striped tie went well with her black skirt, socks, and shoes. She stuffed the bag in her sock to hide it, along with her wand, and checked the time on the wooden clock on the wall – about twenty-five minutes had gone by since Lucian left, assuring Zaria that she could head up for dinner.

###

And it had in fact been true.

After Lucian roamed through the empty common room and the cold halls of the dungeons’ maze, he ascended the stone steps and busted through the door to the entrance hall, but to his surprise, Mallor was opening the door at the equivalent time, startling Lucian and nearly causing him to fall back until he caught his footing.

“Ah! Mr. Vexx, lovely for you to decide to join us after all.” Mallor said, meaning the words more seriously than they sounded, the irritation in his eyes clear for Lucian to see as he tilted his head to the side, crossing his wiry arms across his chest. “Care to explain?”

“Uh…right. Sorry, professor. I – err- had to change, took a bit a longer than I realized,” confessed Lucian, his wide eyes and raised brows matched with a fictitious, innocent grin, his high cheekbones raised and continuous shifty eyes from Mallor to the floor with his arms clasped behind his body. The last thing Lucian needed was to get in trouble before the first day of classes of his seventh year, it would only keep Mallor on his tail and in his business.

“Hmm…” Mallor lifted his chin, his lips pursed, and eyes narrowed as he stared Lucian down, considering his tale carefully. “Very well then, see to it that it doesn’t happen again. Any exceptional wizard should be well versed in punctuality.”

“Indeed, sir.”

“Excellent. Now,” Mallor sets his hand on Lucian’s shoulder and began leading him forward as they gradually walked together to the Great Hall, the door clicking shut behind them. “I have decided that you and Ms. Harloue will escort the first years to the dormitories this evening. Make sure to explain curfew, and what is the password you all have chosen for the common room this term?”

It was Mallor’s key decision to allow Lucian and the other Slytherin prefects to choose the password to enter into the Slytherin common area this year instead of Professor Slughorn, who is the head of house – a rather simple task, but it gave them a chance to take charge of another task, knowing that most of them have concise and proper decision-making skills.

“The unanimous decision was ‘Reckoning’, for our password.” Lucian confidently disclosed.

As they reached the doors to the Great Hall, Mallor nodded and patted Lucian softly on his shoulder blade, grinning tightly. “I like that very much, well done.”

They paused at the entrance and Mallor waved his hand with a flourish at the doors, magically setting them open. The hinges steadily creaked, revealing the packed hall before Lucian and Mallor tread in. Digby had just called out a boy’s name from the group of first years when Lucian caught the eyes of his friends – Dante Ripper, Malachai Hayes, and Charles Sullivan – turned around to see him, wearing big, excited and playful smiles that set Lucian’s stomach on edge. He knew his friends too well and worried that they would make an interruption during the ceremony just to embarrass him. Fortunately, the snickering amongst them was low and quiet enough that the majority of everyone’s attention remained on Professor Digby.

Lucian smirked at them, raising his thin eyebrows as a warning until Mallor looked over the sea of students and his lips parted, as if he remembered vital information, and leaned closely into Lucian’s ear.

“Professor Stone has decided to start up dueling club, strictly for sixth and seventh years,” he said in hushed tones, “and he will be picking the student leaders tomorrow afternoon…best not be tardy for that.”

Mallor stood fully upright as Lucian glanced up at him and responded with a sharp nod. It is the kind of nod that holds confidence, determination, strong-will. The kind that shows someone’s self-preservation for maintaining their power and leading status, socially and academically. Nothing would keep Lucian from upholding his esteemed reputation and leave Hogwarts with the wizarding world wanting him as an asset. Pleased with their discussion, Mallor headed off to the front of the room while Lucian flocked to his friends. As he arrived at the seat saved for him, he was greeted with good-natured nudging from Malachai’s elbow while Dante and Charles snickered under their breaths.

Dante, who was the cheeky and temperamental one in the group, ghosted his pudgy finger around his own lips, pointing at Lucian with his other hand to alert him of the red chapstick smudges on his mouth. The three of them mockingly puckered their lips and kissed around the air and Lucian’s cheeks burned red as he tried nonchalantly wiping his lips off with the pad of his thumb, smirking and rolling his eyes at them. If it had been anyone else giving him a challenging time, Lucian never would have let them, but they were practically his brothers. Dante and Charles came to Hogwarts when Lucian did, and Malachai came the year after, and the four of them became a brotherhood, loyal to each other, and a tight-knitted bunch.

###

Once the ceremony came to close, the feast began.

And Zaria was making her way up to the entrance hall, playing with her white-collar and brushing her hair back off her shoulder. As she entered the Great Hall, her nose tingled at the delicious combination of smells and her pulse raced in tune with the overflowing conversations across each table. It felt like home to her, like she back in the place where she belonged. Her eyes soon found Lucian, sitting at his table, sipping his juice before he belly-laughed at something Dante said. In time he glanced up, noticing her standing at the back of the room, and gave her wink with a flirty smile. She showed her teeth as she smiled, her cheeks blushing red and eyes filled with coveting happiness before she averted them to her table and spotted her best friend, Tamsin Belle.

She skipped down one of the further aisles, her hair flowing behind her until she stopped on the right side of the Ravenclaw table, where Tamsin and her boyfriend, Finn Sharpe, were sitting.

“Oi, look who’s made it to dinner. Finally done sucking face?” Finn expelled, his throaty voice loud enough for everyone around to hear, for instance, his twin brother Cassius who laughed with him and Tamsin.

“Shut it…You and Tamsin have no room to make fun of Lucian and me. When it comes to swapping spit, you two have us pipped at the post,” said Zaria, and Finn shrugged his boney shoulders and nodded sheepishly in agreement as the three of them snickered together.

###

Across the room, at the Gryffindor table, the world paused in that singular moment for Cade. His full attention tightly held by Zaria – her hair and double-dimpled smile took his breath away the moment she came into the room. The feeling that washed over him was indescribable. He has only felt it once in his life, but it was the same. The racing heartbeat. His sweaty palms clamming up his fork and knife so much that he had to set them down. Curiosity taking over every thought in his brain. Cade relentlessly swallowed the chewed food in his cheek, his eyes glued to her every step from the door to the table.

“Eli…who is that girl?” He subtly tipped his chin up in her direction.

Eli knitted his thick brows, chewing a mouth full of sausage and taking sips of his juice to wash it down before he turned to his left, and Cade stared at the back of his head, anxiously waiting for his answer.

“Who? The one standing with the black hair?” asked Elias, turning his body back around with a look of disbelief written all over his face.

“Yes, in the blue sweater,” Cade said, watching her take a seat at the table while she laughed with the people surrounding her. As people switched seats at her table to sit closer to her and talk with her, it was clear she was somewhat popular, but with her angelic, rosy high-bone cheeks, not a doubt crossed his mind as to why. Elias shook his head and chuckling in amusement, but Cade frowned, not understanding why.

“Blimey. How is that even possible?” Elias said under his breath as he stared down at his food but speaking loud enough for Cade to hear.

“How is what possible?” There was a stab of silence between them until Elias sighed, setting down his fork and meeting Cade’s eyes.

“That out of every girl in this room, she’s the one you noticed.” Elias lifted his spoon, scooping mashed potatoes into his mouth and continuing to shake his head and grin. “I mean, I just didn’t think it would be you’d be another dozy bloke.”

Cade was barely paying attention to Eli’s dramatics, remaining baffled by why he was entirely shocked, but not caring in the least. He flitted his eyes up to her once again, scared if he looked away, she might disappear.

“Are you going to tell me who she is or what?” Cade asked curtly.

“Her name is Zaria Black.” Elias intoned, “How much do you know about the second wizarding war?”

“A little bit…a student here named Harry-something defeated the most powerful and dangerous dark wizard of all time. I remember his real name being Tom, but he was called another name.”

“His name was Lord Voldemort, and Harry Potter is the one who killed him, in this very castle during the Battle of Hogwarts,” Elias said, idly sipping his juice.

“Okay, …what’s that got to do with her?” Cade inquired, raptly listening to the story.

“Harry Potter’s godfather, Sirius Black, was her father,” revealed Elias with quiet empathy.

“Was?”

“Right…he died during the battle of the Department of Mysteries,” Elias shook his head with disappointment, “by his own cousin, no less – so Zaria never met him.”

“That’s terrible,” Cade said. “She’s sort of related to him then, this Potter hero.”

Elias rolled his eyes and sighed, “I suppose it’s something like that.”

His dry tone and resentment in his words took Cade by surprise and left him wondering what Elias could have against a charming girl like her.

“What’s that mean? You seem like you hate her…what could she have done to you?” Cade said, grinning and leaning in to thoroughly hear Elias’ reasons behind his odd reaction to discussing her.

“No, it’s not hatred. It’s –” began Elias, gathering his thoughts before he resumed. “It’s…annoyance – for somebody who doesn’t always treat people kindly at times. Trust me, she isn’t as cute or cuddly as she appears to be.”

“Is that so? Hmm...” Cade hummed, shifting his eyes back to Zaria, her smile melting his heart, goosebumps spreading on his skin.

Elias, with a sigh of irritation, proceeded to eat the rest of his meal. Cade could sense the friction surrounding Zaria and took Elias’s warning about her with a grain of salt. Truthfully, it only intrigued him more.

A stunning girl with a feisty attitude – challenged accepted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (this chapter sucks but we're just gonna overlook it and move on lol)


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